§ SIR H. COTTONI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for India whether he will grant a return of the number of prisoners, and the character of the offences committed by those prisoners, who have been released or whose sentences have been reduced under the terms of His Majesty's gracious proclamation to the princes and people of India.
§ MR. BUCHANANThe Secretary of State regrets that it is not practicable to comply with the hon. Member's request. The benefit of His Majesty's clemency under the proclamation will extend to the general mass of the prisoners in India in proportion to the length of their sentences and irrespective of the nature of the offences for which they were convicted. Sentences of a year and upwards are reduced by a month for every year of sentence. Similar reductions are made in sentences of under a year.
§ SIR H. COTTONasked, if nothing special, nothing other than the ordinary gaol delivery was intended, why such exceptional prominence was given to the release of prisoners in His Majesty's gracious proclamation.
§ MR. BUCHANANsaid there was something special, inasmuch as every man who was under sentence on 2nd November got a month off his sentence, if his sentence lasted more than a year, with a proportionate reduction if the sentence was less than a year.
DR. RUTHERFORD (Middlesex, Brentford)asked whether that was any more than was customarily given to men who behaved themselves properly while they were in prison.
§ MR. BUCHANANPrisoners will not forfeit any reduction of sentence which is consequent upon good behaviour in prison.
§ * MR. REESasked whether the Government would except from this benefit all those who have been convicted of spreading sedition amongst the people of India.
§ MR. BUCHANANThere is no distinction drawn with regard to offences.